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The Winter Sports that Pose a Threat to Your Oral Health

Posted December 16, 2016.

Your dentist, Dr. John S. Grisham, and our dental team care about you and your smile, which is why we encourage you to protect your teeth and gums if you participate in any winter sports and activities that pose a threat to your oral health. If you participate in any of the following things, please keep your smile in mind and protect it with a mouthguard in Littleton, New Hampshire:

–Basketball: Basketball is a high-contact sport that involves boxing out and defending. These two things pose a high threat to your smile, especially because there is a chance an elbow, shoulder, knee—or even the ball—could hit your mouth with such force that it injures or knocks out a tooth. This is why it’s best to wear a mouthguard while you’re playing basketball.

–Wrestling: Wrestling is another high-contact sport that can cause significant injury to your mouth. With all of the pushing, flipping, and rolling, there is a chance a body part or the wrestling mat could input much force on your mouth and injure your teeth, gums, lips, and tongue. So, please wear a mouthguard while you’re wrestling.

–Hockey: One of the best parts of hockey is slamming into the opponent when you get the chance, right? Well, this means your smile is in danger. When you hit into another player, there is the possibility of a shoulder or head banging into your mouth and hurting your smile. So, while you’re playing hockey, please wear a mouthguard.

–Sledding: Even though sledding is not a high-contact sport or activity, there is still a chance your smile could get injured. You could crash and fall when you’re riding down the hill or you could even crash into another sledder. When this happens, there is a chance a head, foot, shoulder or other body part could injure your mouth. This is why it’s important to wear a mouthguard while you sled.

–Snowboarding/Skiing: Just like sledding, snowboarding and skiing aren’t high-contact sports that could pose serious threats to your smile. However, there is a chance you could crash, whether it’s on your own, into another person, or into a tree, and your smile could be severely damaged. So, it’s best to wear a mouthguard while you soar down the mountain.

If you use our tips and protect your smile, you’ll be on the right track toward having a strong and healthy smile this winter! To learn more about the best mouthguard for you and your chompers, our John S. Grisham, DDS dental team encourages you to call our office at 603-444-2100 and talk to a member of our dental team. We are happy to give you recommendations that can help you keep your smile and oral health in tip-top shape!